Trading Game-Plan Template Welcome back. By now you should have read our game-plan ebook which describes every aspect of the trading game-plan. This document is the template which helps you create your own trading game-plan in a structured way. The game-plan consists of three pillars as you can see in the graphic below and the template will walk you through the three different components step by step. Don t get overwhelmed. You don t need to fill out every part of the following template. We know that trading systems are very different and our template is just meant to provide a general guideline. Add anything you want or leave out what does not apply for you.
Part I Personal Traits & Goals The first part is setting the tone for your trading game-plan. It makes you aware of who your trading alter-ego really is, what you want out of trading and how to use your personal strengths to get there. Why are you trading? What do you want to accomplish with trading? [Your text here] Personal outlook in life What is your ideal life and how does trading help you get there? Strengths & weaknesses How does your personal strengths make you a better trader? Trader type What is your trading style?
Trading edge What can you do better than other traders? Financial goals What is the ultimate financial goal? What are quarterly and annual goals? Non-monetary goals Most important intermediate goals: Working on discipline, journaling more, avoiding big mistakes, learning fundamentals
Part II General Trading Rules The general trading rules are the framework around your trading system. They provide guidance, keep you from losing too much money unnecessarily and make sure that you stay on the right path. Trading checklist What are the things to look for before entering a trade? Money management How much do you risk per single trade? Total risk exposure How much do you risk on all open positions at one time? Emergency stops Maximum allowed drawdown or personal life impacts
Pre-trading routine What do you do before you start your trading day? Journaling routine When do you enter your trades into your journal? Performance review When do you review your performance? Post-trade sanity check What do you do after closing a trade? Improvement-loop When do you learn and study about trading?
Punishments How do you deal with making mistakes? Dealing with emotions How do you deal with losing and winning streaks? Changing rules When is it ok to change trading rules? Adding new strategies How do you add new strategies or implement changes?
Part III The System Now we are coming to the part where you define your actual trading system. We intentionally put it at the end to highlight the importance of the other two components in your trading game-plan. Most traders never think about their personal traits and how their trading has to match their lifestyle and then they don t connect the dots why they are not having the success they are after. Set yourself apart by first answering the two previous aspects before you read on. Description of your system Brief description and principles it is based on Special requirements What does your strategy require in order to work? Tools of the trade Indicators, price action, price formation and other concepts Markets traded Which markets and instruments do you trade?
Time-frames Which time-frames do you trade or analyze? Why? Trading times When do you trade and when do you analyze trades? The perfect trade What classifies the perfect trade? Use trade screenshots Qualities of trades Grade trades by different qualities Trade exit rules Rules for how you define trade exits
Trade management rules Active or passive approach? Position sizing and risk Flexible vs. static positioning sizing? News and fundamental data Do you trade or avoid news? How do you handle it? Date Created: Other Remarks: